This past week has been quite like no other. I have had some pretty high highs and bizarrely low lows. As I elaborated in the previous post I saw a village fall victim to cruel and unusual punishment. I watched the eyes of those hungry and tired look me in the eyes with fear. I watched a nation elect someone who stands for change and hope or the United States of America, from the other side of the world. Where ever I go I can hear the somewhere in the alleyways a faint voice accentuating the word "Obama". Obamerica.
I stared in a bizarre amazement as we drove past a man that had more than likely fallen victim to a ton of iron and steel lying partially on the road, dead. That very same day I watched a newly born calf stand up for the first time. I felt the great hospitality of a village that seemed genuinely excited to see us. Within that one day I had seen the spectrum of life. The beginning and the end.
This weekend I got to peer briefly into the minds of our teachers when it comes to relationships and girls. I became very aware that there are universals among men and their understanding of women. That we have absolutely no clue why they do the things they do.
So many things have happened. I know that my fellow American students can articulate their ideas and their experiences really well, but for some reason I cannot recently. I have begun to internalize things and don't really want to talk about them. Not just bad things that bother me, but also good things, things that I just want to keep to myself for a while. I am finding that I am doing this more and more...keeping things to myself. I am not sure how I feel about it and I am afraid that when I get home I may upset people for not talking too much about all of the things that I have experienced, but then again I may talk too much...who knows.
I have 5 more weeks here. I still have a lot of growing to do. A lot of things that need to be figured out. Things that need to be thought through. I hope it is enough time.
Last but not least, I want to say Happy Birthday to my parents. Sorry I haven't emailed...for some reason whenever I get on to email you the internet is either out, I can't log into my mail or some other bizarre thing happens...So HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM AND DAD! LOVE YOU!!!
Peace,
Peter
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Eye for an eye the world goes blind
Today we trekked out to dangerous territory. We went to the village where all of the conflict is, the place where a Maasai man was shot to death and then the warriors killed five people. The place where the police brutality has taken place. The place that has been absolutely devastated by theft and where the people hide in fear.
After breakfast this morning we headed into Morogoro to buy as much food as we could for the village. The people are not able to go out for fear of being hurt or killed. After we filled up the SUV with food we embarked on our journey. As we got closer to the village it was eerie as the Maasai that typically line the streets and can be seen everywhere were no where to be found. As we turned on to a secondary road the stares of the people couldn't go on with out notice. The deeper we got, the longer the stares became. The expressions on the non-Maasai peoples face could told a story of negative emotions toward the Maasai, toward us, toward the whole situation. It felt as though we were driving to a forbidden place as we got closer to the village because the lack of Maasai. I never really realized how many people we typically saw at any given time on our way into the villages. There were no Maasai to be found, and the people that we did see on these secluded roads did not have the usual welcoming smile and wave, but instead a stare that penetrate into the soul.
When we arrived in the village, there was no one to be found, we were expecting people to be taking refuge in the school or the church, but no one was around except for three men that were waiting for us at the church. We unloaded the food and sat and talked with the men. As time went one a few more men showed up, but the women and children were no where to be found. It was too dangerous for them to live their regular lives in the village. As we talked with the men they told us that those that still remained in the area were living in the bush, in hiding. They hide from the corrupt and brutal police, the people that come to retaliate, the people that come to steal.
We were taken to the school where they had hidden all that they could before thieves came and ravished the village. Peering into the windows of the school it appeared that everyone left as fast as they could. Benches were flipped, school papers were everywhere, and the sheer chaos in the room reeked of fear and urgency. I couldn't help but think of the images that I had seen of WW2 where people left in such chaos.
After the school we walked to where the village had their well. While we were standing looking at their watering system a large truck came barreling through. The truck, and the men in it, had come to grab whatever they could. Apparently they have been there several times before to just take things, but the Maasai will not stop them. The Maasai are a strong people, but they are also gentle, and smart. They are not going to create more conflict for themselves by trying to stop these robbers. It blew my mind how the truck just came driving up in the middle of the day as if it were this persons job to come to this village everyday and just take things.
When we got back to the church, we noticed that women and children had come out of the woodwork, but were very cautious with at coming anywhere near us. They didn't know at first why we were there, but as they started to realize that we were there to worship with them they started to come in droves. The odd thing about it was the fact that they Maasai women, who are typically more than hospitable, avoided looking at us and shaking out hands. I am not saying that all of them did, but many of them refused to acknowledge our presence, which I feel is completely understandable.
The service was abnormally short because PH was told that the women wanted to go back to where they had come from as soon as possible. It was something out of the Bible...the whole thing really. As Tim has more than likely mentioned in his Blog, they made the bread unleavened because they needed to leave in a hurry.
I am still trying to sort out my thoughts about the whole situation. I think the magnitude of it is still not realized in my mind. A Maasai man was killed, and in a crime of passion the warriors killed five men. (that was something that we learned today. The news reports had said that the warriors retaliated and spoke in language of premeditation. After speaking with some of the villagers, which some of them may very well have been the warriors in question, we found out that the warriors had watched their friend fall to gunfire and they reacted immediately) One of the commissioners had said that the village is nothing but violent no good people and that their village should be destroyed and their land turned into a national park. I in no way support killing, but what is done is done. Maasai are dead, non-Maasai are dead why does an entire village of women and children have to suffer? This seems oddly like foreign policy in the US....
My brain is taxed, and my nerves are close to being shot.
Peace,
PHW
After breakfast this morning we headed into Morogoro to buy as much food as we could for the village. The people are not able to go out for fear of being hurt or killed. After we filled up the SUV with food we embarked on our journey. As we got closer to the village it was eerie as the Maasai that typically line the streets and can be seen everywhere were no where to be found. As we turned on to a secondary road the stares of the people couldn't go on with out notice. The deeper we got, the longer the stares became. The expressions on the non-Maasai peoples face could told a story of negative emotions toward the Maasai, toward us, toward the whole situation. It felt as though we were driving to a forbidden place as we got closer to the village because the lack of Maasai. I never really realized how many people we typically saw at any given time on our way into the villages. There were no Maasai to be found, and the people that we did see on these secluded roads did not have the usual welcoming smile and wave, but instead a stare that penetrate into the soul.
When we arrived in the village, there was no one to be found, we were expecting people to be taking refuge in the school or the church, but no one was around except for three men that were waiting for us at the church. We unloaded the food and sat and talked with the men. As time went one a few more men showed up, but the women and children were no where to be found. It was too dangerous for them to live their regular lives in the village. As we talked with the men they told us that those that still remained in the area were living in the bush, in hiding. They hide from the corrupt and brutal police, the people that come to retaliate, the people that come to steal.
We were taken to the school where they had hidden all that they could before thieves came and ravished the village. Peering into the windows of the school it appeared that everyone left as fast as they could. Benches were flipped, school papers were everywhere, and the sheer chaos in the room reeked of fear and urgency. I couldn't help but think of the images that I had seen of WW2 where people left in such chaos.
After the school we walked to where the village had their well. While we were standing looking at their watering system a large truck came barreling through. The truck, and the men in it, had come to grab whatever they could. Apparently they have been there several times before to just take things, but the Maasai will not stop them. The Maasai are a strong people, but they are also gentle, and smart. They are not going to create more conflict for themselves by trying to stop these robbers. It blew my mind how the truck just came driving up in the middle of the day as if it were this persons job to come to this village everyday and just take things.
When we got back to the church, we noticed that women and children had come out of the woodwork, but were very cautious with at coming anywhere near us. They didn't know at first why we were there, but as they started to realize that we were there to worship with them they started to come in droves. The odd thing about it was the fact that they Maasai women, who are typically more than hospitable, avoided looking at us and shaking out hands. I am not saying that all of them did, but many of them refused to acknowledge our presence, which I feel is completely understandable.
The service was abnormally short because PH was told that the women wanted to go back to where they had come from as soon as possible. It was something out of the Bible...the whole thing really. As Tim has more than likely mentioned in his Blog, they made the bread unleavened because they needed to leave in a hurry.
I am still trying to sort out my thoughts about the whole situation. I think the magnitude of it is still not realized in my mind. A Maasai man was killed, and in a crime of passion the warriors killed five men. (that was something that we learned today. The news reports had said that the warriors retaliated and spoke in language of premeditation. After speaking with some of the villagers, which some of them may very well have been the warriors in question, we found out that the warriors had watched their friend fall to gunfire and they reacted immediately) One of the commissioners had said that the village is nothing but violent no good people and that their village should be destroyed and their land turned into a national park. I in no way support killing, but what is done is done. Maasai are dead, non-Maasai are dead why does an entire village of women and children have to suffer? This seems oddly like foreign policy in the US....
My brain is taxed, and my nerves are close to being shot.
Peace,
PHW
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Quiet Weekend
It has been an interesting weekend so far. Since nothing really ended up happening on Friday, it has been a three day weekend here. It is oddly different because of the lack of things to do. I am not sure what to do with myself with this much time off. I don't think since we came here in September have we had more than one day off, because of Maasai village trips, Swahili lessons and other random things along the way. Yesterday I kind of lounged around and took long naps. Sort of felt like a lion, sleeping most of the day. In a way I feel that I wasted a day away in Africa by sleeping through most of it, but on the other hand, I was so tired from the previous week that it felt good to just sleep and nap.
Though today is just starting, I think that I am going to try and load my day with studying and personal reflection. I have kind of fallen behind on my personal reflection and I can feel the tensions in myself build. It is a weird sensation, almost overwhelming. I am finding that I NEED personal reflection time. If I don't spend time to empty my head, my thoughts stay there all day and just build and become a sopping mess of worry and anxiety...maybe I need to be on drugs...hmmm....nah.
Swahili is becoming very difficult for me. I am all of a sudden forgetting simple words, and grammar structure and I don't know why. It is as though the more I try to squeeze in, the more stuff falls out and then eventually it all falls out. It is becoming frustrating because there are times when I can't say the same thing two days in a row. It is as though my brain is rapidly losing memory. If this keeps up, by the time I leave here I won't even be able to say hello.
Unfortunately, I feel as though things are becoming routine here. Unless there is something out of the ordinary with a village or with our schedule during the week, villages start to run together. Worship services seem to go by without me even noticing anymore. I am finding myself sitting for four to five hour periods of time in a worship service and forgetting that I am even sitting there. I remember beginning the service, taking communion, and then leaving... I am not sure if this is a good thing or an incredibly terrible thing that is happening. I feel as though I am just living. Like this is my life right now, and I live it one day at a time, just like at home. Africa has become my new home. I am not shocked by too much anymore, when I see things that I used to find absolutely fascinating in the beginning, I now see them as everyday life.
Becoming more conditioned to Africa makes me wonder what is going to happen when I get home? What kind of re-entry culture shock am I going to experience. Will I feel at home right away, or will it take me a while to get back into the swing of things? There are times here where I miss home quite a bit, will there be times when I feel the same way about Tanzania? It is hard to say what is going to happen when I get back home. I am curious to see what happens.
Peace,
PHW
Though today is just starting, I think that I am going to try and load my day with studying and personal reflection. I have kind of fallen behind on my personal reflection and I can feel the tensions in myself build. It is a weird sensation, almost overwhelming. I am finding that I NEED personal reflection time. If I don't spend time to empty my head, my thoughts stay there all day and just build and become a sopping mess of worry and anxiety...maybe I need to be on drugs...hmmm....nah.
Swahili is becoming very difficult for me. I am all of a sudden forgetting simple words, and grammar structure and I don't know why. It is as though the more I try to squeeze in, the more stuff falls out and then eventually it all falls out. It is becoming frustrating because there are times when I can't say the same thing two days in a row. It is as though my brain is rapidly losing memory. If this keeps up, by the time I leave here I won't even be able to say hello.
Unfortunately, I feel as though things are becoming routine here. Unless there is something out of the ordinary with a village or with our schedule during the week, villages start to run together. Worship services seem to go by without me even noticing anymore. I am finding myself sitting for four to five hour periods of time in a worship service and forgetting that I am even sitting there. I remember beginning the service, taking communion, and then leaving... I am not sure if this is a good thing or an incredibly terrible thing that is happening. I feel as though I am just living. Like this is my life right now, and I live it one day at a time, just like at home. Africa has become my new home. I am not shocked by too much anymore, when I see things that I used to find absolutely fascinating in the beginning, I now see them as everyday life.
Becoming more conditioned to Africa makes me wonder what is going to happen when I get home? What kind of re-entry culture shock am I going to experience. Will I feel at home right away, or will it take me a while to get back into the swing of things? There are times here where I miss home quite a bit, will there be times when I feel the same way about Tanzania? It is hard to say what is going to happen when I get back home. I am curious to see what happens.
Peace,
PHW
Friday, October 31, 2008
Long week
It's been a long week filled with visits galore. Sunday we went to a Swahili village up in the mountains. Monday we had our standard Swahili lessons. Tuesday and Wednesday we went to Maasai villages as well...pretty standard if I remember correctly. Things all start to run into each other when we don't really have anytime for a breather. So I apologize for the lack of details. My brain is in overload right now with everything that has happened this week.
After our village visit on Tuesday, Tim, Steve and I headed to the Hindu temple with some Indian friends of ours to celebrate Diwali. To quote Wikipedia, because I am not as eloquent of a writer...and I'm lazy...In Hinduism, Diwali is the homecoming of Lord Ram of Ayodhya, after a 14-year exile in the forest and his victory over the evil demon-king Ravan. In the legend, the people of Ayodhya (the capital of his kingdom) welcomed Ram by lighting rows of lamps. It is the festival of lights. It is the biggest celebration of the year for Hindus, just like Christmas is in the US. Diwali is very family oriented so when we saw people there, they were with their families. We went into the temple and got to see the statues of different gods and things. It was quite the experience. One of the big parts of the celebration, now in modern day time, is fireworks. I have never seen so many firecracker, m-80s, bottle rockets, roman candles, mortars and spark volcanos in my life. The air was filled with the sweet smell of incense and gun powder. It was incredible, and hardly anyone got hurt...unlike at home. The smell of the incense reminded me of home a little bit, because I burn the same type that they do...Ah sweet nostalgia.
We found out this week that a Maasai man was shot to death after a confrontation with men that were burning his land. The burning of land around here is very common. People burn the land to create parameters and areas where they don't want the Maasai to take their cattle. Unfortunately, most of the time the places that are burned actually belong to the Maasai people. So when this Maasai man tried to stop these men from burning his land he was gunned down. In retaliation to the man being murdered, Maasai warriors from that particular village slaughtered five men that were involved in the shooting. The local police and government has become involved with the investigation, which is bad for the Maasai men, since the police force is corrupt around here. Many Maasai men have and will be beaten by the police. Another turn in the story is that they village that killed the 5 men had 400 cattle stolen from them by what authorities are saying are accomplices of gunman. The reason I tell you these things is because we are heading to the village next Friday. This should be a very intense visit, I am curious to see how it pans out.
Yesterday, Tim and I trekked with several pastors, Luka, and PH to go pickup a prophet. A real, honest to goodness prophet. This man sees visions of Jesus and has prophesied with great accuracy. He is a very respected man in Tanzania. After picking up the prophet, we drove to a Maasai village where he had said that if the leader of the village didn't quit dealing in black magic and stop drinking heavily, he would die before the long rains came. Needless to say he died. When he spoke yesterday he sounded like something straight out of the Old Testament. He never made any big announcements, but made logical prophecies about the future of the village and things. He spoke again about not dealing in black magic and that they needed one another to grow and love God. He asked for nothing from the village and took nothing.
I don't really know how I feel about prophets and the idea of black magic. I am conflicted about all of it. You talk to most Tanzanians or those who work for the church and they will tell you that when people are possessed by demon they are truly possessed by a demon. I don't know if I believe this or not. It is really hard for me to believe it, because I was not brought up to believe in such things. I don't know if I really believe in evil in general. I think that there is a lack of good and I think that many things that happen actually come from experience (which I could explain the experience thing to you if you want to know), but to say that someone is evil or that there is evil in the world...I am not sure. It is definitely something that I have been debating for a long time and have had several conversations at length with people about. What is evil? What makes something evil? Do I believe in a devil, an entity that makes us do things against our will...no I don't, and I won't until I can be convinced otherwise. Perhaps it is just one concept that I can't wrap my mind around...
I am going to go think about it some more.
I'll try to write again sooner than I did last time.
Peace,
PHW
After our village visit on Tuesday, Tim, Steve and I headed to the Hindu temple with some Indian friends of ours to celebrate Diwali. To quote Wikipedia, because I am not as eloquent of a writer...and I'm lazy...In Hinduism, Diwali is the homecoming of Lord Ram of Ayodhya, after a 14-year exile in the forest and his victory over the evil demon-king Ravan. In the legend, the people of Ayodhya (the capital of his kingdom) welcomed Ram by lighting rows of lamps. It is the festival of lights. It is the biggest celebration of the year for Hindus, just like Christmas is in the US. Diwali is very family oriented so when we saw people there, they were with their families. We went into the temple and got to see the statues of different gods and things. It was quite the experience. One of the big parts of the celebration, now in modern day time, is fireworks. I have never seen so many firecracker, m-80s, bottle rockets, roman candles, mortars and spark volcanos in my life. The air was filled with the sweet smell of incense and gun powder. It was incredible, and hardly anyone got hurt...unlike at home. The smell of the incense reminded me of home a little bit, because I burn the same type that they do...Ah sweet nostalgia.
We found out this week that a Maasai man was shot to death after a confrontation with men that were burning his land. The burning of land around here is very common. People burn the land to create parameters and areas where they don't want the Maasai to take their cattle. Unfortunately, most of the time the places that are burned actually belong to the Maasai people. So when this Maasai man tried to stop these men from burning his land he was gunned down. In retaliation to the man being murdered, Maasai warriors from that particular village slaughtered five men that were involved in the shooting. The local police and government has become involved with the investigation, which is bad for the Maasai men, since the police force is corrupt around here. Many Maasai men have and will be beaten by the police. Another turn in the story is that they village that killed the 5 men had 400 cattle stolen from them by what authorities are saying are accomplices of gunman. The reason I tell you these things is because we are heading to the village next Friday. This should be a very intense visit, I am curious to see how it pans out.
Yesterday, Tim and I trekked with several pastors, Luka, and PH to go pickup a prophet. A real, honest to goodness prophet. This man sees visions of Jesus and has prophesied with great accuracy. He is a very respected man in Tanzania. After picking up the prophet, we drove to a Maasai village where he had said that if the leader of the village didn't quit dealing in black magic and stop drinking heavily, he would die before the long rains came. Needless to say he died. When he spoke yesterday he sounded like something straight out of the Old Testament. He never made any big announcements, but made logical prophecies about the future of the village and things. He spoke again about not dealing in black magic and that they needed one another to grow and love God. He asked for nothing from the village and took nothing.
I don't really know how I feel about prophets and the idea of black magic. I am conflicted about all of it. You talk to most Tanzanians or those who work for the church and they will tell you that when people are possessed by demon they are truly possessed by a demon. I don't know if I believe this or not. It is really hard for me to believe it, because I was not brought up to believe in such things. I don't know if I really believe in evil in general. I think that there is a lack of good and I think that many things that happen actually come from experience (which I could explain the experience thing to you if you want to know), but to say that someone is evil or that there is evil in the world...I am not sure. It is definitely something that I have been debating for a long time and have had several conversations at length with people about. What is evil? What makes something evil? Do I believe in a devil, an entity that makes us do things against our will...no I don't, and I won't until I can be convinced otherwise. Perhaps it is just one concept that I can't wrap my mind around...
I am going to go think about it some more.
I'll try to write again sooner than I did last time.
Peace,
PHW
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Soko la ng'ombe
I thought I would write an entry tomorrow after we visit another village, but then I realized that my experiences today would probably not be as epically cool and details would be skipped out.
Today we went the cattle market. If you can remember way back when, we went to a cattle market about month ago... has been a month already? Wow, I guess it has. That means that it has also been about a month since I had malaria. I know this because the last time we were at the cattle market I felt unbelievably terrible for no reason. Not today though. Today was a special day. PH didn't have to pick up anybody along the way today so the four of us got to ride where there is leg room. For some reason I get the front seat whenever this extremely rare occasion happens. Maybe it's seniority, maybe it's height, maybe it's pity...who knows and who cares. Sitting in the front means direct access to the A/C vents MWAHAHAHA!!!!
When we got to the market we made the rounds with PH. Using our Swahili skills that we have acquired over the past month and a half of lessons. It was terrific to use our skills once again in a public setting. As the day went on I realized that I could understand about half the conversation around me. People bartering, people talking about their families, people talking about their cattle, their villages, their current life situation. It was amazing to hear it all because when we came last time I felt like I was watching a foreign film with no subtitles, now there are subtitles that turn themselves on and off...but there are still subtitles. None of us really bought to much as we walked around. Maybe some fabric, a pair of shoes, and a few knives. It was just great to walk around and meet new people and see some familiar faces. We drank and ate green coconuts. We ran into some limeys (the term originating in the late nineteenth century because of the former enforced consumption of lime juice to prevent scurvy in the British navy) while we were there and talked it up for ten to fifteen minutes. It was quite odd to see other white people around. It made me realize how much we must stick out like sore thumbs. Odd feeling, this realization.
Lunch rolled around...that meant GOAT!!!! YAY!! I love eating goat. We got some liver, ribs, and a leg. My father would absolutely love this meal, because it is meat with a side of meat with meat for dessert. After all the meat was eaten I was given one of the big leg bones along with PH. I had the Maasai man that we ate with crack open the bone so that I could have one of the great Maasai delicacies, that is to say the bone marrow. I impressed the Maasai around us as I sucked the bone dry until it whistled. If you ever wanted a cultural experience, this would be one to do. As the quasi-tasteless slime finds its way into your mouth you begin to think to yourself, this isn't too bad, I could think of a lot worse things it hits you. You are in Africa sucking out bone marrow with some crazy Americans, Tanzanian pastors and Maasai people. What an opportunity.
I have come to realize that I will not be really able to grasp all that I have done here while I am here. When my everyday life consists of studying Swahili with Tanzanians as my teachers, visting Maasai villages, riding in dala dala's, looking at the beautiful mountains behind the seminary, the countless flowers, trees and plants...it is hard sometimes to fathom it. I know that when I get home it is going to hit me, and hit me hard. I look forward to though. I look forward to grasping the magnitude of what I am doing here. Even though I may not be making a major impact on Tanzania, I know that Tanzania is making a big impact on me.
Peace,
PHW
Today we went the cattle market. If you can remember way back when, we went to a cattle market about month ago... has been a month already? Wow, I guess it has. That means that it has also been about a month since I had malaria. I know this because the last time we were at the cattle market I felt unbelievably terrible for no reason. Not today though. Today was a special day. PH didn't have to pick up anybody along the way today so the four of us got to ride where there is leg room. For some reason I get the front seat whenever this extremely rare occasion happens. Maybe it's seniority, maybe it's height, maybe it's pity...who knows and who cares. Sitting in the front means direct access to the A/C vents MWAHAHAHA!!!!
When we got to the market we made the rounds with PH. Using our Swahili skills that we have acquired over the past month and a half of lessons. It was terrific to use our skills once again in a public setting. As the day went on I realized that I could understand about half the conversation around me. People bartering, people talking about their families, people talking about their cattle, their villages, their current life situation. It was amazing to hear it all because when we came last time I felt like I was watching a foreign film with no subtitles, now there are subtitles that turn themselves on and off...but there are still subtitles. None of us really bought to much as we walked around. Maybe some fabric, a pair of shoes, and a few knives. It was just great to walk around and meet new people and see some familiar faces. We drank and ate green coconuts. We ran into some limeys (the term originating in the late nineteenth century because of the former enforced consumption of lime juice to prevent scurvy in the British navy) while we were there and talked it up for ten to fifteen minutes. It was quite odd to see other white people around. It made me realize how much we must stick out like sore thumbs. Odd feeling, this realization.
Lunch rolled around...that meant GOAT!!!! YAY!! I love eating goat. We got some liver, ribs, and a leg. My father would absolutely love this meal, because it is meat with a side of meat with meat for dessert. After all the meat was eaten I was given one of the big leg bones along with PH. I had the Maasai man that we ate with crack open the bone so that I could have one of the great Maasai delicacies, that is to say the bone marrow. I impressed the Maasai around us as I sucked the bone dry until it whistled. If you ever wanted a cultural experience, this would be one to do. As the quasi-tasteless slime finds its way into your mouth you begin to think to yourself, this isn't too bad, I could think of a lot worse things it hits you. You are in Africa sucking out bone marrow with some crazy Americans, Tanzanian pastors and Maasai people. What an opportunity.
I have come to realize that I will not be really able to grasp all that I have done here while I am here. When my everyday life consists of studying Swahili with Tanzanians as my teachers, visting Maasai villages, riding in dala dala's, looking at the beautiful mountains behind the seminary, the countless flowers, trees and plants...it is hard sometimes to fathom it. I know that when I get home it is going to hit me, and hit me hard. I look forward to though. I look forward to grasping the magnitude of what I am doing here. Even though I may not be making a major impact on Tanzania, I know that Tanzania is making a big impact on me.
Peace,
PHW
Thursday, October 23, 2008
different names for the same thing
Today we started the ever coveted second book in Swahili. The "advanced" book. I am struggling with Swahili at the moment, and the more advanced levels aren't really helping. The good side of doing the more advanced lessons is that we slow waaaaay down to get it, which is helpful for me. There is just so much vocab to remember and I am far behind. It could be the fact that I am nothing like Tim and don't want to study it for another three hours a day when I have already studied it for five hours through out the day, though if there is anybody that should study... it's me.
The lack of academic structure is not treating me well either. I am a huge procrastinator, which means that I have not done as nearly as much as I should. Sure, I have started my other classes, but I feel that I am fairly far behind in them. I know that this is more than likely a mirage, and that if I were to sit down for a day or an hour and just work as hard as I can at them I would probably be up to where I think that I should be.
On a completely different topic... We are headed to the cattle market once again this weekend. This time around should be better, considering I had a good/miserable time. I loved being there but I felt terrible the whole time, this was the beginning of my bout of malaria. I am really looking forward to this cattle market, because I think that I missed out on quite a bit on the last one.
I wish there was something deep to write about right now, but I can't really think of anything at the moment. I can't think of anything really shallow and pretentious to right about... Hmm... Maybe I should get checked for malaria again...
Peace,
PHW
The lack of academic structure is not treating me well either. I am a huge procrastinator, which means that I have not done as nearly as much as I should. Sure, I have started my other classes, but I feel that I am fairly far behind in them. I know that this is more than likely a mirage, and that if I were to sit down for a day or an hour and just work as hard as I can at them I would probably be up to where I think that I should be.
On a completely different topic... We are headed to the cattle market once again this weekend. This time around should be better, considering I had a good/miserable time. I loved being there but I felt terrible the whole time, this was the beginning of my bout of malaria. I am really looking forward to this cattle market, because I think that I missed out on quite a bit on the last one.
I wish there was something deep to write about right now, but I can't really think of anything at the moment. I can't think of anything really shallow and pretentious to right about... Hmm... Maybe I should get checked for malaria again...
Peace,
PHW
Monday, October 20, 2008
Puking at higher altitudes
I realize that I haven't updated my blog in a little while. I apologize that I am not as studious as the others... Anywho this past weekend was an interesting one to say the least.
Friday night we watched most of the third and final presidential debate. I had downloaded most of it the night before, so we got to see quite a bit of it until my download went poopy. It was quite entertaining to watch the debate with a Dane, an Indian couple that are here to do research through Michigan State (so they understood our American attitudes, living in the US to study and all) and a few Tanzanians around my age. We watched and awe as Obama cooly shot down McCain and McCains "deer in the headlights stares into the camera." We laughed, we yelled and most importantly discussed. It was really interesting to get an international perspective on the presidential race. Needless to say the rest of the world leans to the left.
Saturday I woke up not feeling the best. Little achy, little nauseous. That's when I convinced myself that I needed to go with the group and go climb the mountains behind the seminary. About an hour and a half into the climb, my body decided that it hated me and wanted to expel everything in the stomach. It was the first time that I has ever thrown up in public (as far as I can remember). I felt better after that and then continued on for another 8 hours. We reached the top and then continued for a while going down the other side. We then turned around and went back. I am still sore today but it was worth it. I'm glad I didn't bail out, otherwise I wouldn't have had the opportunity to see how unwinded and unsweaty a Maasai gets when he climbs a mountain. He had about a half liter of water all day....I drank 6 1/2 liters and ran out of water just before our descent.
Sunday we went to another Maasai village, only this one was a little different. Since PH needed to talk to the elders of the community (which I am sure the others have already described) we got to take a tour of the village, thanks to our friend and teacher Moreto. We went inside the houses, the kitchen, played with a Maasai spear, got to see how they make their sweet shiny jewelry. On a more serious note, this village seemed to have a different dynamic than the others. There was a wide range of people. There were those who were much better off than others. Widows suffered the most because the leader that taken care of them after their husbands died, died a few months ago himself. These widows had become very thin and looked extremely malnourished. It seemed odd to me that this happens in a community that is so close knit as what it appeared to be. This makes me really question the dynamic that is in these Maasai villages. It is an extremely patriarchal society, but everyone needs to depend on one another to survive. I guess this runs a little deeper than once thought. If a woman's spouse dies and no one steps up and takes care of that widow by providing food and other essentials for her, then that widow wilts and dies. I don't know how I feel about this. Taking a step back and looking at the societal structure it is obvious that the patriarchal society is very flawed. In instances like this, where poverty is so heavy, is it better to let a few die for the betterment of the community, or does everybody chip in and live at much harsher state than they are already in?
The choice would appear to be obvious where everybody chips in and helps one another, but by doing so they are weakening the state of an already fragile society, causing more sickness and malnutrition on a much larger scale and therefore potentially perpetuating the downfall of their community.
This just reinforces that I have so much to learn yet about the culture of the Maasai people. It is not as basic as it appears on the surface, but things like this seldom are. I am quickly learning how blind I am to things like these when I got villages and that I need to open my eyes more.
Peace,
PHW
Friday night we watched most of the third and final presidential debate. I had downloaded most of it the night before, so we got to see quite a bit of it until my download went poopy. It was quite entertaining to watch the debate with a Dane, an Indian couple that are here to do research through Michigan State (so they understood our American attitudes, living in the US to study and all) and a few Tanzanians around my age. We watched and awe as Obama cooly shot down McCain and McCains "deer in the headlights stares into the camera." We laughed, we yelled and most importantly discussed. It was really interesting to get an international perspective on the presidential race. Needless to say the rest of the world leans to the left.
Saturday I woke up not feeling the best. Little achy, little nauseous. That's when I convinced myself that I needed to go with the group and go climb the mountains behind the seminary. About an hour and a half into the climb, my body decided that it hated me and wanted to expel everything in the stomach. It was the first time that I has ever thrown up in public (as far as I can remember). I felt better after that and then continued on for another 8 hours. We reached the top and then continued for a while going down the other side. We then turned around and went back. I am still sore today but it was worth it. I'm glad I didn't bail out, otherwise I wouldn't have had the opportunity to see how unwinded and unsweaty a Maasai gets when he climbs a mountain. He had about a half liter of water all day....I drank 6 1/2 liters and ran out of water just before our descent.
Sunday we went to another Maasai village, only this one was a little different. Since PH needed to talk to the elders of the community (which I am sure the others have already described) we got to take a tour of the village, thanks to our friend and teacher Moreto. We went inside the houses, the kitchen, played with a Maasai spear, got to see how they make their sweet shiny jewelry. On a more serious note, this village seemed to have a different dynamic than the others. There was a wide range of people. There were those who were much better off than others. Widows suffered the most because the leader that taken care of them after their husbands died, died a few months ago himself. These widows had become very thin and looked extremely malnourished. It seemed odd to me that this happens in a community that is so close knit as what it appeared to be. This makes me really question the dynamic that is in these Maasai villages. It is an extremely patriarchal society, but everyone needs to depend on one another to survive. I guess this runs a little deeper than once thought. If a woman's spouse dies and no one steps up and takes care of that widow by providing food and other essentials for her, then that widow wilts and dies. I don't know how I feel about this. Taking a step back and looking at the societal structure it is obvious that the patriarchal society is very flawed. In instances like this, where poverty is so heavy, is it better to let a few die for the betterment of the community, or does everybody chip in and live at much harsher state than they are already in?
The choice would appear to be obvious where everybody chips in and helps one another, but by doing so they are weakening the state of an already fragile society, causing more sickness and malnutrition on a much larger scale and therefore potentially perpetuating the downfall of their community.
This just reinforces that I have so much to learn yet about the culture of the Maasai people. It is not as basic as it appears on the surface, but things like this seldom are. I am quickly learning how blind I am to things like these when I got villages and that I need to open my eyes more.
Peace,
PHW
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